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Bando Hikosaburo III as Sugawara no Michizane, from the Kabuki play, "Sugawara's Secrets of Calligraphy" (Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami)

Katsukawa Shun'ei 勝川春英

ca. 1800

Bando Hikosaburo III as Sugawara no Michizane, from the Kabuki play, "Sugawara's Secrets of Calligraphy" (Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami) by Katsukawa Shun'ei 勝川春英

Medium

Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Dimensions

15 1/4 x 10 1/4 in. (38.7 x 26 cm)

Classification

Prints

Culture & Period

Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)

Department

Asian Art

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Henry L. Phillips Collection, Bequest of Henry L. Phillips, 1939

Accession Number

JP2824

Tags

MenActors

Art Historical Context

In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868), Katsukawa Shun'ei, a of the ukiyo-e tradition from the Katsukawa school, captured the theatrical energy of Kabuki in this striking woodblock print. Titled *Bando Hikosaburo III as Sugawara Michizane* from the beloved play *Sugawara's Secrets of Calligraphy*Sugawara Denju Tenai Kagami), it portrays the actor in the role of the legendary scholar-poet Sugawara no Michizane, a historical figure deified as the god of calligraphy and learning. Created around 1800, the print showcases Shun'ei's skill in yakusha-e—actor portraits that immortalized ...

About the Artist

Katsukawa Shun'ei 勝川春英 (Japanese) · 1762 –1819

Japanese, 1762–1819

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